


The Boy-Who-Died

by Dracones



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, An Idea I Had, Dead!Harry, F/F, F/M, Gen, I Tried, M/M, New!Herione, Sorting, Sorting Hat discussions, hope you like it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-07-12 11:27:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7101340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dracones/pseuds/Dracones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Herald. Though of course, I have already seen something of you in Miss Granger's mind. It is quite a sharp mind, hers, as you know. Well suited to Ravenclaw.</p><p>I'd say you did well in sorting her there, but then, that's my job, isn't it?</p><p> </p><p>Or, that one Harry Potter story where he has no siblings, is the Boy Who Lived, and dies before he gets to Hogwarts, leaving a void in a story and a young Muggleborn girl (born on July 31st) (whose parents were lucky enough to escape three separate terror attacks from Voldemort's forces) to fill it.</p><p>Or, not really a Harry Potter story at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Boy-Who-Died

_It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Herald._

* * *

Joan waved quickly at her parents, before she turned to face the barrier that hid platform Nine-And-Three-Quarters from the Muggle world and began to pick up speed. She didn't close her eyes, but it was a close-run thing, and her knuckles, gripping the trolley, were white.

* * *

_Though of course, I have already seen something of you in Miss Granger's mind._

* * *

"Hermione Granger."

"Joan Herald."

"Oh! Are you named after Joan of Arc? I've read about her -"

"Yeah, my parents are historians. Are you named after the Shakespeare character?"

* * *

_It_ is _quite a sharp mind, hers, as you know. Well suited to Ravenclaw._

* * *

"Granger, Hermione!"

The bushy-haired girl released Joan quickly and with a nervous smile, darting to the stool and yanking the Sorting Hat onto her head.

* * *

_I'd say you did well in sorting her there, but then, that's my job,_ **isn't it?**

* * *

"Goyle, Gregory!"

As the burly boy shuffled up to the hat, Joan tapped Hermione on the shoulder. "See you in Ravenclaw?" she whispered, a nervously hopeful smile on her face. As the Hat yelled "SLYTHERIN!" to the hall, and the boy stood to head for his new table, Hermione blushed and nodded, quickly hugging Joan tight.

And Joan smirked for a second as Professor McGonagall opened her mouth to call the next name.

* * *

_Hmm? What's that? You have a lovely innocent denial forming in your head, dear; I would almost fall for it, if I couldn't read your thoughts._

* * *

"... I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad."

Joan shrugged. "Merlin was a Slytherin, if big names are what make houses, and there's evidence to suggest that Morgana Le Fay was in Ravenclaw. But it's about what we can do in the houses, not what other people did. No-one ever did anything by following."

* * *

_You picked up on her lack of social knowledge, if only through your own social inadequacies, and you befriended her, defended her, and told her which House should be hers._

* * *

"It's rather bad manners to invade our compartment and demand our names without giving yours in return, Mr. ...?"

"Malfoy." The blond boy's thin lips were twisted into a scowl. "Just Malfoy, to you. I don't consort with your type."

Joan glanced across at Hermione. "I think we'd both rather not have to deal with yours," the other girl said primly, glancing towards the door.

Malfoy glanced to his bodyguards, then back to the two girls. "You don't have much of a choice if I don't want you to," he drawled.

Joan tilted her head. "As I recall, there was an Abraxas Malfoy involved in the Wizengamot restructuring of the early 20th century, though I'll presume he's no relation. Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century mentioned him, after all, and in a positive light. At a guess, he would have passed on his manners, or at least a semblance of them."

"You don't need manners when dealing with Mudbloods," Malfoy spat back, turning on his heels. "Crabbe, Goyle, we're leaving."

* * *

_You're well suited for Slytherin most certainly._

* * *

Joan settled into an empty train compartment, absent-mindedly stroking her rosewood and dragon heartstring wand for a few seconds before refocusing her attention on Hogwarts: A History. She didn't get far, however, before there was a knock at the door.

* * *

_You make a convincing point, but not convincing enough. You want Ravenclaw, but you are yet to name one area in which it would be better for you than Slytherin._

* * *

Joan and Hermione stared out at Hogwarts from the surface of the Black Lake, in wonderment and awe, side by side in a little boat smoothly gliding forwards towards the future.

* * *

_I shall give you one chance, Miss Herald._

* * *

The Hat spent longer on Hermione than it had anyone else so far. Joan was beginning to grow impatient when Hermione's head turned slightly, and she raised the brow of the Hat with a gentle hand. Their eyes met, and Hermione smiled and nodded at her.

The Sorting Hat cried, "RAVENCLAW!"

* * *

_Do be clever about it._

* * *

Joan paused, thinking. Then, she pushed the brim of the hat upwards, looking, searching, and when she met Hermione's eyes, she nodded slowly.

 _Her,_ she thought.

* * *

_To be sure, you're a_ RAVENCLAW!

* * *

Joan breathed a sigh of relief and took a few deep breaths as the Ravenclaw table started clapping, before the Sorting Hat was lifted off her head. Just before Professor McGonagall grasped it, however, it offered a few final words.

 _Make Slytherin connections too. Consider Greengrass,_ came its last advice, and then Joan was whisked off to sit next to Hermione, a wide grin spreading across her face. The bushy-haired girl gave the black-haired one another tight hug, which Joan returned.

"I'm glad you didn't choose Slytherin," Hermione whispered.

Joan pulled back a bit. "How did you know?"

Hermione gave her a _seriously?_ look. "I can tell when I'm being manipulated, you know. You're certainly not a Gryffindor or Hufflepuff."

"Sorry."

"It's okay," Hermione told her. "We're both Ravenclaws now, and you're a friend. That's more important."

Joan hugged her close. She hadn't had friends since she'd changed schools, when they'd moved out of Little Whinging. A kid she vaguely recognised from the local school had been run over just outside their house and died right in front of her. She was nine, then. She cried for hours, and stopped talking to people, which seriously worried her parents. They'd had to move.

It was nice to have someone her age to hold onto again.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure if I'm going to continue with this or not. If I do, it'll probably be a rather different style to this chapter, which is a combination of introducing the character through actions and introducing the character through the Sorting Hat's judgement. The initial version of this chapter was in a far more standard chronological format, but it didn't feel right. There was too much exposition and conversation, and honestly, neither of those things were much good, I wrote it ages ago.
> 
> I ended up cherry-picking the best bits and rewriting the rest if I needed them, which I think has resulted in a more balanced and interesting chapter, and in fact a more balanced and interesting main character as well. I definitely prefer her in this format.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
